The problem of a shortage of experienced personnel is becoming increasingly acute for Ukrainian farmers, particularly in livestock farming. This was reported by Oksana Yurchenko, project coordinator at the FAO Investment Center in Ukraine, during the Ukrainian Livestock Summit 2025, which took place on October 17 in Kyiv.
This year, the Ukrainian Livestock Summit 2025, organized by ProAgro, brought together more than 600 participants: farmers, producers, and scientists. International delegations were present at the summit. Throughout the event, the International Feed School operated within the summit, and the Livestock Expo 2025 exhibition was held, where companies presented innovative solutions for efficient production.
“Even before the war, the problem of staff shortages was one of the main ones, as evidenced by the results of surveys of agricultural enterprises. And with the start of the full-scale invasion, it has intensified significantly. In 2023, more than 80% of farms noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult not only to find “fresh” specialists, but also to fill critical vacancies for the enterprise in general,” commented Oksana Yurchenko.
The expert is convinced that this issue will only become more acute. Therefore, it is obvious that there will be more automation of processes—it is impossible to avoid this. Salaries in the agricultural sector will also increase — only under such conditions is there a chance to retain qualified specialists. However, this is not enough:
“Employees need to be not only motivated but also developed,” she stressed.
According to Oksana Yurchenko, after the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian farmers found themselves in a kind of information vacuum, with most of the available educational materials being in Russian or English, while there was virtually no high-quality content in Ukrainian.
A significant step towards meeting the needs of farmers was the launch of AgriAcademy, a modern educational platform that already offers more than 30 practical courses created in collaboration with leading universities around the world, agricultural companies, and industry experts in Ukraine.
“When a person comes to work, they need to be provided with a decent salary, as well as explanations, demonstrations, and training. This is precisely the function that AgriAcademy performs—it enables employees to deepen their knowledge,” emphasized the FAO project coordinator for animal health and food safety.
Currently, the platform offers over 30 different free certified courses in the field of cultivation, storage, and processing of industrial crops, organic production, various aspects of animal husbandry, etc. You can register for a course and obtain a certificate here: https://agriacademy.org/courses-catalog/
By the end of 2026, AgriAcademy plans to launch about 20 new courses, selected based on their relevance to the needs of Ukrainian agricultural producers.
This is a free professional online learning platform created on the initiative of the EBRD as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
The creation and management of the platform (including the development of courses, training tours, etc.) is carried out with the support and funding of the EBRD, as well as:
The EBRD’s Multilateral Donor Account for Stabilisation and Sustainable Growth in Ukraine (donors: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union as the largest donor);
The Republic of Ireland through the EBRD Small Business Promotion Fund (other donors to the fund: Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taipei China, and the United States);
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
